


Magnolia Creek

by Cheesecake_97



Category: Homeland
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 15:16:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14571786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheesecake_97/pseuds/Cheesecake_97
Summary: After 6x12,  I had to take some time away. Which ended up being a year. I originally wrote this story back in June 2016. This piece sat unpublished because I thought it was too dark and sad, but nothing is more sad and hopeless than cannon. So I'm back with this little story and hopefully another story to come.  Thanks for hanging in there!Here is Carrie and Quinn in an AU.  Enjoy!





	Magnolia Creek

She moved into the dinning room, and took a seat.  She noticed a rather handsome man seated across from her at the table.  Something about him seemed familiar.  Something in his icy blue eyes, the way his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.  He seemed almost sad behind his smile.  
Lunch was served, nothing remarkable, the chicken rather bland and the green beans were cold.  Carrie mostly just pushed the food around her plate.  
  
*Do you want some butter for your roll?  
  
_Why is he talking to me?_  
  
*No thank you.  
  
Secretly she did want butter, but for some reason didn't want him to know that. He looked at her more intensely, as if he was already reading her thoughts.  
  
*Well, I'll just leave a butter pat here on your plate, in case you change your mind.  
  
_How does he know me?_  
  
Something about his presence and his intense staring bothered Carrie.  She stretched across the table for the salt shaker, but something in her hip gave way, she slid out of her chair and she suddenly found herself on the floor.  
  
_F* me, well this is embarrassing._  
  
The next moment Mr. Intense Blue Eyes, was on the floor next to her. His arms around her,  
  
*Are you OK Carrie?  Was it your hip?  
  
_How does he know my name?  What does he know about my hip? Why am I so weak? Why can't I get up? Why am I so tired?_  
  
Staff were alerted and someone was calling her doctor.  
  
*Carrie look at me, can you get up?  
  
*Who the hell are you and why do you know my name?  
The words came out more like a yell.  
  
*We use to work together.  
  
Carrie was taken aback.   _She knew the work she use to do, work no one ever talks about anymore._   He took her hand.  
  
*It's OK, you're safe.  
  
_Is she safe with him?  Can she trust him?_  
  
*Why don't  **you**  help me up?  
  
_Seemed like an obvious question to her._  
  
*Well, my bad knees won't let me, I guess we are both stuck down here til the EMT's arrive. F*me, we are a pair, aren't we?  
  
Something in the way he said "F*me", made her eyes become clear and she actually saw him for the first time.  The first time in along time. Tears ran down her face, she instinctively pulled him into a deep hug.  She was hugging him like he had just saved her from drowning. Through her sobs,  
  
*Quinn, Quinn you are here, you are back.  I was so worried about you.  
  
In her ear, choking back his own tears she heard him whisper,  
  
*Yes, of course.  I've always been here. I would never leave you.  
In sickness and in health. (He paused, to settle his voice.)  
I'm sorry we aren't at home, but you kept turning on the stove at all hours of day and I couldn't help you get out of bed anymore..... I wanted to protect you but .....  
  
She pulled away and studied his face.  
  
*Did you ever come after me to Missouri?  No, wait, did you ever wake up from Berlin?  Wait.. I guess you must have.  Wait.. what month is this?  
  
*May.  
  
*Where am I?  
  
Just then the dinning room was flooded with firemen, a paramedic and EMT's, who rushed over to their table.  A young man, got into Carrie's face with a million questions.  Quinn tried to shield her from the chaos and noise.  
  
*What is your name ma'am?  
  
*It's Carrie.  
Quinn answered for her.  
  
*Do you know your last name ma'am?  
  
_Sh* she had no idea.  It was like a black hole, an endless void._  
  
*It's Quinn, Carrie Quinn.  
He answered again  
  
*What the hell Quinn? You couldn't even hyphenate it?  
  
*You wanted the kids and us to all have the same name.  
He whispered in her ear.  Something in his eyes broke for her. His arms where still around her. Protecting her.  
  
*You... are... sir?  
  
*Oh, her husband.  
Quinn stretched out a hand and firmly shook the young paramedic's hand.  
  
*What medications is she on?  
  
*Oh, the nurse can print out a list for you.  
  
*Ok, and how old is your wife Mr. Quinn?  
  
That's when he dropped the bomb.  
  
*85  
  
Carrie's eyes got big. What the hell was he talking about? She looked around and realized for the first time, they were sitting on the floor of a dining room. The dining room in an assisted living faculty  _Magnolia Creek_  outside of DC Metro area.  
  
*F* Quinn, how did this happen?  
  
*Well you were reaching for the salt...  
  
*No, how did we get so old?  
  
Looking into his face she saw for the first time his wrinkles and glasses and their two walkers next to the table. She peered at her own weathered hands and the frailty in Quinn's face, their orthopedic shoes.  _Sh* was this real?_  
  
As the EMT guys were checking her vitals and her hip. Quinn looks down with shining eyes.  
  
*Life happened Carrie. But it was real and wonderful and..... I've missed you so much.  
  
His voice broke and he put his head on her shoulder and a few more heartbreaking pieces fell into place.  
The EMT's cleared her, as uninjured and they helped her back into her chair. Then with a very pained look on Carrie's face, they help the elderly Quinn into his seat.  
  
*Sh* we are old! Quinn are you 87!? Did we really survive almost 50 years together?  
  
He only slyly smiled.  
  
The firemen and paramedics left and dessert was served. It was institutional food, an unsavory attempt at apple pie. Bad jazz music was heard playing in the background and other residents had finally stopped staring.  
  
Carrie noticed a handsome young man, sitting across from her.  
  
*Do I know you?  
  
*You did a long time ago.  
  
*Do you like Greek food?  
  
*No, I like Indian food.  
  
*Humph, Indian food. Is this breakfast?  
  
*No, lunch.  
  
Something in his blue eyes broke for her.  
An aide came,  
  
*Time for your art class Mrs. Quinn.

Using her walker she got up, turned and said, 

*Goodbye young man.

_F*ing art, what a joke._  
She and the aide shuffled out of the dining room towards the rec room down the hall.  
The dining room was almost empty, when Quinn, alone pushed his walker out towards the lobby.

*Good afternoon Emily.  
He greeted the front desk lady.

*I heard lunch was eventful and that you ended up on the floor!

*Well, I couldn't have Carrie down there alone.

*No, of course not. How is she today?

*Good actually, not counting her fall. She came back for a few minutes, cursed me for changing her last name.

*Sounds like a good day.

*Best day.....in a long time.

*Will the kids be here next week?

*Yes, everyone is flying in for Mothers Day.

*Oh good.

*Please put Franny, John and Grace down for the brunch, the grand kids have college finals and can't get away.

*Of course Mr. Quinn.

He pushed his walker out the front door, as he left the automatic doors closed behind him, with the words "Magnolia Creek- Alzheimer's Care Center" etched in the glass doors.

He pushed his walker across the parking lot to the double doors that read "Ravenwood Assisted Living". He slowly padded up to his room. It was so difficult for him to see her in such a dark fog, when she couldn't recognize him.  _F* ing irony that after he survived an inter- cranium hemorrhage, she was the one that didn't know what day of the week it was._

He hoped that some how through his eyes, she could see the care, concern and enduring love. The hope that kept him going, was that even in her darkest confusion, she always saw him as a young man. _Did Carrie view him as 25, 35, 45 years old? Did she see herself as a young women?_ It would seem so.

Though he would never admit this to their kids, but he liked to believe, that even through she saw him as a stranger, in her mind, they could still be a random hook up at a bar or a late night liquor store run. He clung to this hope as he ate lunch and dinner with her everyday, hoping one of these days, she would hit him up for some action in the elevator, because in her mind maybe they were still 35! The thought made him laugh. So many good memories over the years.

To him though, she was forever 37 in a black dress and heels, with a smile on her face, as he pressed her against his trunk under a star fill night.  In the end, they were back at the beginning and he could only silently love her from a distance. 

 

 

 

The End

 


End file.
